


Ring the Bells

by Fanofthearts



Category: Holby City
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/F, a little bigger than a drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 09:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17159420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanofthearts/pseuds/Fanofthearts
Summary: Bernie didn't go back to Nairobi, Serena never went beyond snogging Leah, and its Christmas.





	Ring the Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing that came out of a very odd dream. 
> 
> Thank you Iordio

The air in the living room smelled heavily of pine, coffee, brown sugar, and the slightest hint of wood smoke. Bernie sipped her coffee and looked around the room, the tree was twinkling softly as the early morning light was starting to creep in the windows. She had lit the fire when she had come down the stairs to take the chill off the room, a Christmas garland was hung on the mantle shelf above it, the glittery pine cones might have been a bit much for her a few years ago, but now they seemed beautiful. 

She sighed and leant back on her arms, sitting on the floor was not the most comfortable but it gave her a gorgeous view of the tree. This was home now, walking away from Nairobi had seemed hard until she did it. The second she saw Serena everything else fell away. Jason was happily married, she had a job at Holby, and she had Serena in her arms. She heard the stairs creek, set her cup on the coffee table behind her and sat up straighter. She fiddled with the card in her hands, worrying the sealed flap. Serena paused at the bottom of the steps, “Bernie?”

“In here.” She called back her heart started to thud in her chest. 

Serena’s hair was skewed, face free of makeup and she was wearing the fluffiest grey dressing gown Bernie could find. “You’re on the floor.”

Bernie smiled up at her, “I am, come join me.” She shifted, spreading her legs and patting the spot between them.

Serena slowly lowered herself turning her head to peck Bernie’s lips before leaning back into her and sighing. Strong arms came around her waist and pulled her even closer. “You smell good.”

Serena nuzzled into her neck, “And you feel good, why are you up so early darling?”

Bernie shrugged, “Couldn’t sleep, Christmas morning and all that.” She dropped a kiss to Serena’s shoulder, “Here.” She handed her the card, “Open it.”

“I thought we gave all of our gifts last night?” Last night was busy, all of the family over, it was loud warm and full, it was wonderful but now it was peaceful and sweet.

“Just open it.” Bernie murmured into her hair, her fingers toying with the belt of her dressing gown, still not quite believing she was really here.

A manicured finger slipped under the flap of the red envelope ripping open the back and pulling out a beautiful hand painted card. It was a Christmas scene, a little cabin in a snowy wood, a tree decorated in front with a deer quietly munching on twigs in front of it. The landscape was accented by white glitter making everything shimmer. “Oh Bernie, it’s beautiful.” Her fingers traced the outline of the cabin and the mountains in the background. Her eyes read the inscription on the bottom of the card, “To my wife, on Christmas.” Bernie felt her stiffen in her arms. 

“Open it.” She prompted again quietly, her heart almost beating out of her chest. 

“To my wife on the Christmas ‘morn, may we be blessed with many more.” Was printed in the card, on the bottom beneath the printed verse was a handwritten scrawl in Bernie’s familiar script, “Will you marry me?”

Breath hitching, Serena tried to turn in Bernie’s arms but she held her tight. “I found the card, by accident, it was so beautiful, I knew you would love it but the verse was for a wife and I couldn’t resist it. I knew it would go perfectly with this,” She shifted slightly her hand finding its way into her own cotton robe’s pocket. She pulled out a back ring box and held it in front of Serena. “Will you?” She all but whispered out, she felt as though her heart would explode out of her chest. Her fingers fumbled to get the box open. 

Serena set the card down and helped her open it. She gasped looking at the ring. Bernie leaned forward gently kissing her neck. “The diamond is for you,” With a shaking finger she pointed out the small stone of a ruby to the right of the diamond, “The ruby is my birthstone, the garnet Jason’s,” she pointed to the left where another small stone was almost looking like a petal, “and the emerald is Elinor.” 

She heard Serena take a stuttering breath, pausing and turn in her arms. “Yes, yes, yes.” She whimpered, her hands coming to Bernie’s face and kissing her through tears. Her hand tangled in her hair as she pulled back and they got lost in each other’s eyes. “I’ll marry you.” 

Bernie gently slipped the ring on Serena’s finger and pulled her back into her arms, everything was tingling; from relief or excitement she wasn’t sure. For a while they just sat, holding each other in front of the fire, both looking down at Serena’s hand, now adorned with the glittering ring.


End file.
